UPDATE: Rob Reiner’s Son Denied Bail in First Court Appearance, Reports He Was Suffering with Schizophrenia

Update: Nick Reiner appeared briefly in Los Angeles Superior Court Wednesday morning but did not enter a plea. His attorney, Alan Jackson, said it was too early, and the arraignment was pushed to Jan. 7. Prosecutors charged Reiner with two counts of first-degree murder in the stabbing deaths of his parents, Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner. The county medical examiner confirmed the couple died from multiple sharp-force injuries and were found in the master bedroom area of the home. LAPD officials said the investigation focused on Nick Reiner within hours, and that he was arrested without incident in South Los Angeles. The district attorney is also seeking “special circumstances,” a designation that could make the case eligible for the death penalty or life in prison without parole.

TMZ reported that Nick Reiner had been recently diagnosed with schizophrenia and was under the care of a psychiatrist in the weeks before the killings. The outlet also reported that doctors had been adjusting his medications shortly before his parents’ deaths, and that the changes may have contributed to what sources described as increasingly erratic behavior. Authorities have not publicly confirmed any diagnosis or medication details.

In a shocking and tragic Hollywood horror, Rob Reiner, a beloved show biz icon and LGBTQ+ And Human Rights Activist was found dead Sunday, December 14th with his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, inside the couple’s Brentwood home, their son, Nick Reiner, was later arrested on suspicion of murder. The LA Times cited jail records that list him being taken into custody at 9:15 p.m. Sunday, then booked at 5:04 a.m. Monday morning.

Family friends told the Los Angeles Times that Nick Reiner was acting strangely at Conan O’Brien’s party the night before the killings, and that he got into a heated argument with his father that left people unsettled. Some have also disputed that it happened that way. In the days after, some of those concerns spilled into public view. Tabloid outlets, including Page Six and RadarOnline, have reported that at a recent memorial gathering for Rob and Michele, friends said Rob had confided he was fearful about his son’s state of mind in the days leading up to the deaths. Nick’s siblings, Jake Reiner and Romy Reiner, issued their first public statement since their parents’ deaths:  “Words cannot even begin to describe the unimaginable pain we are experiencing every moment of the day. The horrific and devastating loss of our parents, Rob and Michele Reiner, is something that no one should ever experience. They weren’t just our parents; they were our best friends,” they said.  “We are grateful for the outpouring of condolences, kindness, and support we have received not only from family and friends but people from all walks of life. We now ask for respect and privacy, for speculation to be tempered with compassion and humanity, and for our parents to be remembered for the incredible lives they lived and the love they gave.“

For West Hollywood, Reiner was not just a famous face. In June 2018, he came to West Hollywood Park to speak at a “Families Belong Together” rally organized by councilmember Lauren Meister, a local protest against the Trump administration’s family-separation policy at the border; you can see the story here. Councilmember Meister said on her Facebook page, “This is a shock. Rob Reiner was one of our speakers at our Rally for Sane Policies, when Trump was separating children and parents during his first miserable term. Some of my favorite Castle Rock/Reiner movies, When Harry Met Sally, Stand by Me, Spinal Tap. Saddened by this news.”

In addition to a prolific career in show business, Reiner also built a long public profile as a blunt, persistent advocate for LGBTQ+ equality and broader civil rights. He served on the board of the American Foundation for Equal Rights, the group formed to support the federal legal challenge to Proposition 8, and he spoke publicly after the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that cleared the way for marriage equality to resume in California.

What Happened

The Los Angeles Fire Department responded to a medical aid call shortly after 3:30 p.m. and found a 78-year-old man and a 68-year-old woman dead inside the residence, according to authorities. LAPD’s Robbery-Homicide Division is handling the investigation.

The Associated Press reported, at the time that investigators believed the couple suffered stab wounds and that a family member was being questioned. People magazine was first to report, citing “multiple sources,” that the couple’s adult son was responsible. The medical examiner has since confirmed the Reiners were killed with a knife by multiple stab wounds. It’s also been reported they both suffered slashes to the throat.

In a 2016 interview with PEOPLE, Nick spoke about his years-long struggle with drug addiction, which began in his early teens and eventually left him living on the streets. He said he cycled in and out of rehab beginning around age 15, but as his addiction escalated, he drifted farther from home and spent significant stretches homeless in multiple states. Nick told PEOPLE that the chaotic period of addiction — including nights and sometimes weeks sleeping outside — later became the basis for the semi-autobiographical film Being Charlie, which he co-wrote. “Now, I’ve been home for a really long time, and I’ve sort of gotten acclimated back to being in L.A. and being around my family,” Nick told PEOPLE at the time.

Reiner’s Hollywood career stretched from his breakout role as Michael “Meathead” Stivic on All in the Family to a directing run that helped define the late 1980s and 1990s. His best-known credits include:

Director credits (selected)

• This Is Spinal Tap

• Stand by Me

• The Princess Bride

• When Harry Met Sally…

• Misery

• A Few Good Men

• The American President

Actor credits (selected)

• All in the Family

• Sleepless in Seattle 

• Curb Your Enthusiasm 

You can catch an in-depth interview with Rob and Nick below.